The Tortured
by Peter
Summary: A young man is captured by the yeerks and imprisoned because he can't be made into a controller
1. The Capture

The Tortured Part One 

by Peter Withers 

Animorphs and related characters don't belong to me. Only Chance and Mona are mine and shouldn't be used without my permission. 

Ch1 

I guess I'm one of the most luckiest or unluckiest people in the world. This will probably take some explaining in order for most people to figure that out. There is extraterrestial life out in the universe but they are not a of cute and cuddly alien like E.T. There are some galactic bastards out there that are here on earth to conquer and enslave the population of this planet. They are called the yeerks and they are a bunch of parasites that are capable of taking over the minds and bodies of nearly anything in the universe that are big enough for them to take over. The nearly part is where I come in. My nickname is Chance and that is the best name for me. The reason my friends gave me that name is that I can get better than 95 percent with anything that involves the odds. This talent tends to be great in poker and a couple other things in school. That is until most people stopped playing poker with me or checked me for cheating so many times I just quit the game. I am seventeen and I have a little over average height, build and have light brown hair and greyish-blue eyes. My true name or my fake isn't important and I cannot give it out for fear that the yeerks will find my new home and terminate my existance. That is right, no putting a slug into my head except possibly from the kind that comes out of a gun. The Animorphs are correct in that Visser Three and the yeerks are attempting to capture them and enslave them before he thinks about killing them. But my case is different in many ways. For one thing, the yeerks think the Animorphs are Andalites, who tried to help us, and they know or are fairly certain that I am human 100%. Another is well..I explain below. 

It was about six months ago that I heard about a new club called the Sharing that was sort of like a combination YMCA and boy/girl scouts. They had alot of parties and community services. I wanted to join and it was too good to be true. And it was. One month and two days later I'm being escourted down a flight of stone steps by "Hork-Bajir" and "Taxxons" aliens, or that is what the other prisoners called them. The other thing is that I'm screaming my head off. I was led into a line out onto a peer and when my time came, one of these Hork-Bajir forced my head in the water. I felt my head go tired for a few minutes and a minute in which I couldn't control myself. 

(You're mine, Chance.) 

(Who and what are you?) 

(I'm Igness 2-4-5 and I'll be controlling you from now..Aaugh!!!.) 

Whatever that was who was controlling me was spazing out and I was jerking around. I felt my mind go free and I found myself in the driver's seat again just as a Hork-Bajir grabbed me. 

"Enegg wrong?" Beats me what he said but I got the drift while the yeerk was being put back in the pool and my head was submerged again. And the new yeerk was just as arrogant as the old and went spastic just as the old, even a tad quicker. Then the Hork-Bajir on the peer dunked me twice more until he gave up and threw me into one of the cages where other human were. They were crying, screaming, begging, and cursing at the aliens but with no avail or even notice from the aliens. There were also several Hork-Bajir in stronger cages. I sat there silently and tried to figure out what was going on. 

I noticed that "my" Hork-Bajir was speaking to an alien that looked like a furry blue cross between a deer and human with a sharp scorpion tail. I figured out that they were talking about me when the Hork-Bajir gestured in my direction. Then it lost it's head. Not in temper or anything but literally as the new alien sliced the Hork-Bajir's head off with it's sharp tail. Then it came in my direction as the wormlike Taxxons devored the dead corpse of the Hork-Bajir. Then he gestured in my direction. Two new Hork-Bajir grabbed me and "escorted me toward the lead colored pool. Then they dunked my head in again and again trying in infest me. After a number of times (I lost tract), I passed out. 

Ch2 

I woke up by a wet rag being put on my forehead. I opened my eyes and saw a green eyed, brown haired angel cradling me. 

"I'm died and gone to heaven." I muttered even through I was sure I wasn't there. 

"Nope. Not lucky enough. What did you do to make Visser Three so angry at you?" 

"Who?" 

"The blue alien. He is an andalite-controller, the only one in the galaxy. He is in charge of the invasion." 

"Invasion?!" I sat up quickly but got dizzy. 

"Yeh. But what was Visser so angry at you about.?" 

"Don't really know. They forced my head in that pool over there," I gestured, "then I lost my mind for a moment to some sort of evil being..." 

"The yeerk." 

"Yes, that's what it was. Then we went into spasms and I regained control of my body and mind. Then they dunked my head in the pool over and over again with the same happening to me. Does this sort of thing happen alot?" 

"Never." 

"I guess that was why they seemed very curious and quite frustrated with me. I couldn't surrender myself." 

"But how?" 

"Honestly.." 

Then He came over. The blue furred alien, Visser Three. 

(So, your finally awake.) I figured it said that in some sort of telepathy. 

"Yes, I am." I said in a low measured tone that I learned to use during poker games. 

(How are you preventing yourself from becoming one of ours?) 

I said nothing. 

He repeated it a little louded in telepathy. 

I did something very stupid. With a cold smile on my face I said arrogantly, "You still don't know, do you. I guess the human race was wrong all these decades." 

(About what?) 

"About there being intelligent life outside of our own." Gutsy, but very stupid. Fortunately, I was far enough in the cage so he couldn't kill me immediately with his razor edged tail. Unfortunately I got shot by his Hork-Bajir's laser weapons. Also unfortunately (I felt at the time), I didn't die. Ch3 

"Not very bright, are you." The same female voice scolded me as I woke up again. 

"I know it wasn't bright, but I lost my temper there for a second." 

"Don't do that again. Visser Three barely restrained himself from killing you. 

"You should know they tried to put a yeerk in you while you were out. It stayed in there just about the same amount of time as the others." 

"Could you bring me up to speed as to everything that is happening er.." 

"Mona. I guess I should." She told me about the yeerks, andalites, the taking of various species, including humans as slaves for yeerks. She also mentioned Visser Three and other important yeerks. There was how she was forced by The Sharing to become a host. She has been a host for almost six months already. 

I managed to get a good look at her. Green eyes, long brown hair, slim body. Gorgeous. 

"So," she said once she was finished with her story, "How did you prevent yourself from losing your body to the yeerks?" She smiles softly at me. 

I stared at her for a second. Her face distorted for a second but quickly came back to her, what I quickly found out, was her normal expressive face. Clever, very clever. They must have infested Mona while I was out cold. The old switch-a-roo trick. But let's make sure by fishing out a lie. 

"I better whisper the answer to your question." 

"Okay." She leaned in close. 

"The reason why is that I am a genetically engineered human. My kind comes from a future and I have a mission which is to assassinate the possible dangers to a human interstellar empire. Oh yeah, I more thing... 

"Yes." She leaned a bit closer. I quickly looked over her head the the metal bars that are a little more than a foot away. I noticed that the Hork-Bajir were discreetly watching us. Or trying do. I don't think they have much skill with stealth. 

"I hope this hurts you more yeerk than it does Mona." I slammed her head into the bars. She back off and she came to her feet. The look of pure hatred on her face simply wasn't human. She cradled her head as blood seeped out. 

"We'll get what we need from you and then you will die for what you did to me." 

"Don't think so, slug. I'll be spitting on your grave. I hope you believe in some sort of Hell, yeerk, because that is where I'm sending all of you." 

(Brave words from a human vermin behind a cage.) Visser Three again. 

"My way out may be caged but so is your way in." 

(And what does that mean, human?) 

"Go to hell! You ain't getting me." 

(We shall see, human.) 

Ch 4 

So for the next week, I sit there in the cage as the yeerks go about their normal business of placing the yeerks into the pool for Kadrona recharging and putting them back into the host's heads. This is a process which takes several hours so most of the time I end up having some company. It took some time but I got used to the sounds of the Damned. I just sat there thought, planned, and remembered. There is a big piece of the puzzle that I'm missing and that is just how I'm resisting the yeerk infestations. They try to infest me three times a day with fresh slugs but they are rejected. The time of rejection is down to seconds now. The yeerks seem to be getting more and more irritated at me as time goes on. As if I'm not the least bit unhappy at them for what they've done. I tried to resist the Hork-Bajir as they forced me face down into the pool for the tenth time in a row. 

I tapped into. . . something that I had no idea I had. I actually resisted the Hork-Bajir as he pressed me down for more time than it expected. Then he dislocated my knee and I tumbled into the pool. The yeerks slugs in the pool went after me. One tried to infest me, then lost in seconds, then another, and another until the Hork-Bajir pulled me out. There must have been over a dozen attempts or more at infesting me within the time I was in the pool. But the wierdest thing was the fact I got flashes of information from each yeerk as it was rejected. Some had Hork-Bajir as hosts, others had Taxxons and humans. Most of the ones which got to me had Hork-Bajir as hosts. I think I learned some of that language in the pool. Then I lost consiousness, again. 

Ch5 

I woke up again because of the sound of a certain voice weeping. I got up and limped over to Mona. She got closer to me and cried into my shoulder. 

"It's okay. it's okay, Mona." 

"No, it isn't. We'll never get out of here free." 

"Yes we will. I promise. I don't know how but I will get us out of here." 

I searched in my pockets for my cloth tissue. I found it but I noticed that my clothes were clean and my pocketknife was gone. All that was left was my wallet and the rag. I wiped Mona's tears off and hugged her some more. "How long have you been here?" 

"Less than an hour. I heard about what happened to you. Are you alright?" 

"As much as can be expected. From person to person, I feel like crap." 

"You should know that this is something totally new for _them_. They're used to a little bit of resistance from the hosts while they take over a body but nothing like this. Fifteen yeerks implanted and rejected in less than a minute." 

"Wow. The yeerks are going to be pissed at me now if they weren't already." 

"You betcha." Her voice was wry. The tears stopped flowing. 

"You know something, if I wasn't captured and put in a place that resembles Hell and I wasn't subject to constant attempts to put alien parasites in my head, I would ask you out on a date." 

She blushed slightly and said, "And if I wasn't being used as a host by one of the above parasites and this was a normal situation, I would probably say yes." Good. A decent sense of humor will do wonders. 

"And if you said yes, I would probably show up at your front door with a single deep red rose and lead you to my black Mustang." 

"You would, would you? Then what would you do?" 

"Take you out to a romatic movie and then to the nearby Italian restaurant with the candlelit tables." 

"I know the place that you are talking about. Please keep going." 

"Then we could go to a special place that I know. It has an overhang that shows you all the stars in the sky." 

"That's nice." 

"I would place my arm around you and hopefully you would lean your head against me." 

"Maybe I would or maybe I would slap you. Or maybe not." 

"Then . . .oh great. Our 'chaparone' has arrived." One of those walking blades, Hork-Bajir, opened the cage and grabbed Mona. 

"See you in three days, Mona." 

Then I heard a soft voice say. (I would love to be the one to figure out how to get into that human. Visser Three would most likely promote me up to a Sub-Visser for that. ) 

Ch 6 

What the devil was that? I wondered. I must be hearing things. But I was certain that that came out of the Hork-Bajir who was dragging Mona away but it didn't speak. Was I going crazy? I certainly had enough excuses to do so. Over the next couple of days, the frustration of the yeerks inability to capture my body grew. They still tried to infest me once a day but that didn't work. They cut down on my food and water. They yeerks were doing everything possible to weaken me. They had the yeerk who infested Mona come down occasionally between rest periods to torment me. 

There was something that concerned me. Am I human? The yeerks didn't know whether I was one or not and neither did I. I couldn't figure out what they thought was worse for them: An alien race with this ability that was marqerading as part of the human race or a portion of the human race with that ability. But the one thing they nor I couldn't ever figure out was that it wasn't an ability made with technology or training or rather it was natural. They thought I was doing this whole thing on purpose. I know I wasn't. Wasn't I? 

Mona came down, or rather the yeerk that controlled her did. I was sitting on the ground crosslegged and philosophically listening to the screaming and begging. Was that person screaming in a contro-alto tone? What was the cursing person truly thinking? She walked right up to the bars then backed up a few feet. Why? I was sitting down. I couldn't reach her before she backed away from me even if she leaned against the bars. Was she doing this because of orders or because it couldn't stand me? Or maybe it was worried my condition might be catchable? 

"So what did you yeerks do with my disappearance? Suicide or runaway?" 

"You 'ran away.' You will return after we get you. It doesn't matter rather or not we get you, we will still take your primitive race." 

"Really, then why am I still alive, yeerk?" No answer. "Let me give you a scenario that might answer that. It looks like you yeerks have a fairly organized operation here. But I would bet that you haven't been in a full business of taking mankind for more than a year or even less depending on what I have heard. A hundred thousand humans give or take at most. Now consider if out of that number you get one of me. Out of six billion people you would have 50,000 or more humans like me even I my condition isn't catchable. That would comprise a very good resistance force to fight you especially if the Andalites (reaction: a look of pure hatred.) help us with technology and stuff." 

"You stupid fool. They will never help you because of their stupid noninterference law (later information I found says it is called Seecrow's Kindness) of theirs and your kind will be destroyed." 

"You're probably right. If you manage to take humanity, the Andalite race and all of the Galaxy, your arrogance would get yourselves destroyed." 

"Why?" 

"Rule of nature: No matter how tough you are or think you are there are others who are tougher. I read a lot of science fiction so I could give you some hypothetical examples of beings capable of destroying you." 

"Like what?" The arrogance again. Probably thinks I can't give an answer. 

"One: An advanced civilization too small to become your hosts. That could be viral size to earth bug size or slightly larger. Two: An advanced civilization that sent a force comprised of sentinent machines or a civilization that are composed of sentinant machines like in the book about the Berserkers. Three: A civilization comprised of cybernetics such as the Borg on Star Trek. Four: A civilation that is a hive or destributed mental civilization like ants or termites. I could give you more with a little more thought." 

I watched the yeerk in Mona change expression from arrogance to irritation. "Remember," I finished, "it is a big universe out there and you mess around enough out there, your going to get nailed sometime." 

She stalked away. I sat there and stared at her for a moment. (A very beautiful woman.) I thought. 

CH 7 (my lucky number, usually) 

After Mona got out of my sight, I got up and went into my exercise routine. I started with stretch my muscles and moved into a combination of martial arts and dance that I wouldn't be able to do if I didn't have a cage to myself. I never did get rid of my new limp but I confensated for it in my routine. Soon I was able to ignore it in my routine. I sweated and pushed myself. The strange thing was that I enjoyed it a lot. I would start up my morning with the exercises and moved on to my morning shower. Something I noticed was the fact that the bathroom facilities were hastily modified with the shower. I then moved on to my mental state which included reading books on various subjects and meditating. I just asked them kindly for the books and in a few days they relented. The yeerks seemed amused with my requests but complied. That was in part because of my study of my new mental abilities. That talent for telepathy kept on increasing and I was able to soon read surface thoughts of the yeerks and their hosts sometimes. I could even tell a free human from a yeerk-controlled human. Eventually, I was able to effect a few human-controller thought processes and got them to give me books. I also noticed a telekinetic ability forming within me. That was strange. I first flipped a coin over from a foot away without thinking about it. Then I really concentrated and it did it when I wanted to. It was fun when I started stumbling human and Hork-Bajir controllers. They never figured out it was me from fifty feet away. The lesson I learned was the first time I used any of my abilities voluntarily, it was hard. But it eventually gets easier. After the mental workouts, I set up a poker game with the others in the cages except when Visser Three taunted me. I just acted depressed and except for testing, taking care of me and the occasional attempt to infest me, the yeerks left me alone. The playing cards were another practice with my telepathy. It took a few tries to get my prisonmates to play but some of them eventually did. The rest sat there and watched my group play. The games (that I won 500$ at) got the attention of everyone in the cages except for the captive Hork-Bajir. The silence in our groups surprised the yeerks alot. It wasn't the sound of giving up but rather the sound of ignoring them. They took the cards away after several days but the damage was done. Instead of screaming and cursing, we all exchanged stories and taught each other different things. 

Mona was the highlight of my time there every three days or so. I would greet her and we would just talk about life. I would tell her what was happening to me and she would tell me what was occurring on the surface. We talked and fantasized and hoped together. Then one day: 

"Hi Mona." I said as she was escorted into the cage that I was in. If we didn't struggle, they gave us a choice as to what cage we go in. They didn't care where we went. 

"Hi, Chance." she said brightly as we sat down on the ground together. "What's up?" 

"Same old, same old. You?" 

Mona looked determined for some reason. "I've been thinking about you a lot lately and I've made a decision. This might not be a Italian restaurant but it will do?" 

I didn't make the connection for a minute. "For what?" 

"For this." AND SHE KISSED ME. I've been kissed a few times while on dates but this was totally different. The kiss felt like fire and I never enjoyed anything so much in my life. I laid down all the way and she crawled on top of me and we continued kissing. I felt nothing like this before for a woman. The rest were mere girls. I didn't know how far we would have gone after those few minutes and I didn't care until I heard a mind shout. 

(Stop that!) 

Visser Three. We didn't move one bit. I was shirtless and Mona's shirt was hitched partway up where I was carassesing her back. We both had mussed up hair. We both sat up and looked around. All of the temporary free humans, human controllers, and a lot of the aliens were staring at us. All of the poker games and my other actions and my condition didn't bother them but a little making out and we practically shut down the yeerk pool. 

I whisper, "Geeze Mona, you would think that they have never seen anything worse than PG in life." She giggled softly. We got up and adjusted our clothes accordingly. 

(What were you doing?) 

I snarled, "What, Visser, no one ever explain the birds and the bees to you." I regretted that the second it came out of my mouth because my tone of voice made my statement sound like Visser Three couldn't control us. I was 'pissing in his sandbox' big time and only one course of action could be done. More torture for me or.. 

(Grab the human female.) The Hork-Bajir grabbed Mona and dragged her out. (You will tell me how you are doing what you are doing or she dies in front of you. You have one Earth minute.) Mona was shaking with fear in the clutches of the Hork-Bajir. 

There was a couple things to do. One tell him everything I know and he kills her and me or don't tell him anything and she dies. There might be a far off third option. I telepathically sent suggestive thoughts into one of the closest human controllers and I started screaming. "I don't know, I don't know. Please don't hurt her." 

(Too bad, human.) Visser Three cocked his tail to slice Mona apart. 

"Please...Visser." A very hesistant human voice said. "She is a member of The Sharing. If she disappears, humans might notice and might prevent their offspring from joining. That might slow plans down even more especially with those Andalite bandits around. The Councial of Thirteen might not be pleased with a delay on the timetable." Please, please let that person be high ranking or Visser Three will kill him without even thinking about the suggestion. 

(Very well. Seperate them. And step up the testing on this vermin.) 


	2. The Escape

The Tortured Part Two 

by Peter Withers 

Animorphs and related characters don't belong to me. Only Chance and Mona are mine and shouldn't be used without my permission. 

Ch8 

Define torture. Torture could be the act of inflicted massive amounts of pain on a person. The testing did so to me even though I know that it could have been done with a lot less pain. After that and finding noting without finding anything out of the ordinary, the yeerks gave up on me. They changed the form of torture. I was placed around in my own cage and totally isolated. The bars were surrounded by what I found out was holographs. The place I was in was soundproof against the outside. The place was an isolation chamber. I was going crazy, so crazy. I remember the book by Jack London which had a prisoner who kept sane in a strait jacket by floating his mind over past lives. I couldn't do that exactly but I found I could float my mind. I explored mind after mind in widening circles as I practiced my telepathy. I saw memories and fantasies. I feel bad about the violation of the people's minds but I needed to keep sane. I could keep my metabolism low and only eat a third of my normal food and feel satisfied. I would float out for 6 to 8 hours at a time and come back for an hour or so. I had a strange dream after a couple of days of this. 

I was in a field. The grass was up to my knees and I could smell the sweet smell of clover and hay. I could feel the dew through my old shoes. I walked a bit and turned around to find an old man. This man was glowing a faint blue and he was looking at me. 

"Who are you?" 

"I AM THE ELIMIST." 

"What do you want with me?" 

"IT IS YOUR DESTINY TO HELP FREE YOUR KIND FROM THE YEERKS." 

"But I am just one person. What should I do?" 

"WHAT YOU NEED TO DO." 

"I don't know if you can do this in your grand plan, but if you can, please help me get my friend Mona out of here when I leave." Nothing, not a peep. 

"Please, please help her." The ground change to fog as I left the dream zone. I woke up with the knowledge I would know the time to leave. 

Ch9 

I bode my time as that feeling inside me basically told me to do. I finally woke up one day with the feeling it was time to leave the yeerk pool. I floated my mind around the area and found the one mind I was looking for and I could tell she wasn't infested at this time. 

(Mona.) I felt her mentally jerk. 

(Chance. Is that you?) she thought back in shock. 

(Yeah. I found out a few new tricks and I've decided it is time to go. Would you like to come?) 

(Yeah, but I really need some time to pack.) The sarcastic humor in her voice could be even heard over thoughts. 

(So, what is happening on the outside?) 

(There is a lot of stuff happening out here. The Andalites are attacking the yeerk pool right now.) 

(Wait one minute. I might be able to get a hold of them.) 

I focused my find to pick up telepathy. 

(Rachel. Get those Hork-Bajir.) 

(Marco, Cassie. Get the morphing cube.) 

(Aaugh!) 

From their thoughts, I think that they are human. How? I better find the one who is the leader. 

(Hello! Please talk to me. I need your help.) 

(Whoa! Who are you?) (Long story. I'm in a cage and I'm busting out. I need cover on the way out.) 

Whoever they are, they recovered quickly. (Okay. No problem. How will we know what you look like?) 

(You'll know by the damage path.) I floated my mind back to Mona. (Time to go. What it is like outside my cage?) 

(One Hork-Bajir 10 feet from your cage, Dracon Beam in hand. It is facing his back toward you.) 

I first angered myself up. I felt the strength burn through me. It felt like when I resisted the Hork-Bajir but so much stronger. I turned my thought telepathy to the Hork-Bajir and thought (Look behind you.) 

He turned and I blew the cage door off with my telekinesis (TK). The door flew off the hinge and knocked the Hork-Bajir off it's feet. I walked through the hologram and did the cool Jedi thing with the Dracon gun. It flew from the ground into my hand in one smooth motion. I turned toward Mona's cage and walked over. She was staring at me in shock. I grabbed the door with physic fingers and use my TK to pull it off its hinges. I dropped it and she ran out while the others in there stared at me in fear. 

"You're glowing, Chance." What? I am? 

"I guess it is part of me." I handed her the Dracon gun. "Get anyone you can free and get out of the yeerk pool. Then get out of the city and the country if you can." 

"What are you going to do?" 

(I'm going to have a little heart-to-heart chat with Visser Three.) Mona stepped toward me and kissed me. 

"Good luck," she whispered. Then she shouted, "Let's get the hell out of Hell people." I turned and walked toward where I had a feeling where Visser Three was. A Hork-Bajir. A bit of a telepathic suggestion left him cowering on the ground. A Taxxon. TK knocked him back 50 feet in a limp husk. I saw glimpses of 'wild' animals attacking the aliens. Those must be the Andalites . . . wait those are the _humans_. They're in morph. I can hear the thought difference. 

"I'm tired of this." I mutter and I send a TK wave in front of me, knocking everything away for 30 feet. I don't know how I did it at the time. Something similar happened when Dracon Beams were turned in my direction. I instinctively blocked it with a TK shield. The crackling energy surrounded me as I strolled toward Visser Three. 

- - - - - - - - Mona- - - - - - - - 

I better get moving. Chance has given me and a few others a chance to escape to freedom. But then I realize that I need to get Chance out of here to. I _like_ him. I like kissing him, talking to him, and being with him. I have to save him if he gets in life threatening danger with Visser Three. I hand the Dracon gun to the person closest to me. 

"Take this. Get out of here now." 

"What are you doing?" The guy asked. 

"I'm going to go help Chance against Visser Three." 

"That freak," he mutters. 

That made me mad. "That _freak_ is giving us a chance to get the hell out of here." I turn and ran for the clearing that Chance had provided. 

Ch10 (Back to the present) 

Shit. I am weakening a lot with the amount of power I'm using. I can't keep this up for long. I continue walking over toward where I'm certain Visser Three is. The Andalite-Controller is standing there watching the fight but not getting involved yet. There are four Hork-Bajir standing around him, protecting him. 

"Visser Three!" I shout. "It's time to finish this." One of the Hork-Bajir rush me, body blades rapidly slashing. I crush his throat with a bit of TK and leave it collapsed on the ground. I reflect that it wasn't vindictive or anything. I just did that to conserve my power. 

(Kill him.) Visser Three thought-speaks to his remaining Hork-Bajir guards. The other three Hork-Bajir turn and fire their Dracon Beam weapons at me. My TK shield holds, but it won't for long. Time for another trick. 

(Stop firing and back off so I can deal with the human myself you fools.) I yell at the Hork-Bajir in as close a thought-speak to the Visser's I can. They start backing off and stop firing. 

(What are you doing?) He yells in thought-speak. (Kill him.) But their backing off gave me enough time to have a better plan. Using a TK pull, I yanked the Dracon Beam from the fallen Hork-Bajir and turn it on the other three at a high power. They die quickly and painlessly. But the move costs me. I start feeling very dizzy and can't focus long enough to aim the weapon. Visser Three starts walking toward me. 

Lets try that last trick again. (Look out behind you.) I yell in thought-speak as close to his own as possible. I know it is a major cliche but he turns a bit instinctively and I throw the gun at him with my eyes closed. 

Thunk!. Doesn't knock him down but I'll bet it hurts. I drop to one knee and try to summon more strength but little is left. Visser Three stumbles from my TK as he approaches me. (You could be so valuable to us but you are too dangerous to us if you live.) He tail cocks as he prepares to behead me. 

Slam! Mona tries to knock Visser Three over but with no success. She grabs onto the morphing cube and tries to yank it out of his hand also with no success. All I can do is keep the tail from slicing Mona open. There has to be another way. Wait! Perhaps there is. I look into the Visser's mind searching for the host Andalite without being noticed by the yeerk. I find the Andalite's mind: weak, crippled, exhausted. It is difficult to do this because at the same time I'm trying to prevent the tail from slicing Mona to bits. 

(Alloran. I need your help. You know what is happening. Please help me.) 

(I'm too weak and the Visser is too strong. There is nothing I can do.) 

(Can't you doing anything? Just something to slow him down a moment. If he gets control of the situation, he'll morph and I'm too weak to stop him. The Andalites (I lie to protect them) aren't close enough to help us.) 

(There might be something that I can do to help you. I can try to activate the 'morphing cube' (I use the simplest term) and that might slow Visser Three down.) 

(I'll try to free your thought-processes long enough for you to do so.) I try to shore up Alloran's own mind so he can use the cube. I ask him how to use the cube and stuff about morphing. With that I accidently tap into his memories. It is incredible that torture that Visser Three has put him through. It is so hideous and vile that I don't know how the Andalite survived as well as he has. 

The Andalite sends a surge of thought-speak to the cube which activates. The Visser jerks in surprise and stumbles. But the effort costs me too much and Visser Three cuts Mona across her chest and stomach. 

"No!!!" I scream in voice and thought. The last burst of rage sent out an instinctive combination telepathic and telekinetic 'KO' which knocked Visser Three unconsious or close enough for it not to matter. I crawl over to Mona and look at her wound. It is going to be fatal unless I do something quick. She needs to morph now. DNA isn't effected by an injury. If I can get her to morph to and back from something she'll be alright. But what? 

Me. That is the only answer. I grab her hand and try to keep her awake. (Mona. That feeling you felt before you were hurt was the morphing cube giving you the ability to shapeshift. Touch me and think about me. Then think about becoming me. After that, think about becoming yourself. Don't think about problems, just do it.) I place her hand on my face and I feel drowsy for a few seconds. Then I see her face and body shift from her form to my own. It is quite freaky. I take off my shirt and place it over my face to hide her from any controllers that might accidently look. I look around and see the morphing cube and a Dracon Beam weapon nearby. With effort I use the Dracon Beam to destroy the morphing cube. It is too dangerous to keep intact and it disappears in a flash of light. I turn back to Mona and wait a minute. When I pull off the shirt and put it back on, she is back to her own self, minus the wound and non-fitting clothes which are to do with the morphing. 

She stares at her healed body and the stretch out clothes. "Well, that was neat, Chance. But, I think that the calvary has arrived. You know, I've always wanted to say something like that." I lean down from my kneel and lightly brush my lips against her own for a minute. 

(It would be a good time to get out of here and not play kissy-face.) 

(Okay, okay. Let's get out of here.) "Mona, you've got a choice. You can 'be the lady or the tiger'. You can either morph him or ride him." 

"Enough of the bad puns, Chance. I think that I've had enough morphing that I can take for a while." She turns to the tiger. "Do you think you can carry us both?" 

(Not if I have to fight.) 

"Don't worry about that. I've got one last trick up my sleeve," I say. Jake, the tiger, carries us out of Yeerk pool. The Hork-Bajir I deal with a bit of telepathic trickery which either leaves them cowering or not seeing us. 

(I'm wondering,) Jake asks (how are you doing that stuff?) 

(Honestly, I sort of know how I'm doing it, but not why. But it is good enough for me that I am.) 

We manage to get to the surface without any serious problems. "Is there any safe place we can stay at for a little bit? It would probably be a good idea to rest before we go." (And besides, I would like you guys to help Mona figure out morphing. And it would probably be a good idea for you to demorph back to your human forms before the two hour limit.) 

(How did you know that about us?) 

(My abilities are appently aren't limited to simple communication like thought-speak. I accidently overheard your thought-speak conversation and I could tell you were human, Jake. I'm sorry, I couldn't help it.) No answer, I must have really scared them. (Don't worry, we won't tell anyone. I'm mean I am many things but crazy is not one of them. Do you want to blindfold us?) 

Jake agrees and I tear stips off of my shirt and blindfold Mona and me. When we get unblindfolded, we are in a barn and there are five teens and a hawk around me. "Do you mind if I get some sleep? I don't know about you, Mona, but I'm exhausted." 

"I not feeling very peppy either." Mona says wearily. 

"I'll show you a place where you can sleep." Cassie says. She leads Mona and myself to a fairly hidden corner in the barn. She says that she'll get a couple of blankets for the night. I sit down and lean back on the wall. Mona sits down too and relaxes by me. Cassie brings back with the blankets and pillows which we gratefully accept. 

"Please tell who you guys are. I mean, there is no harm to do so." 

She answers, "I think that Jake would let me tell you more about us since you know a lot about us already." She tells Mona and I about the Animorphs and their adventures. It is really an amazing story about how five teenagers and a young Andalite actually defeated the yeerks on several occasions. 

"I now know why Allorn is feeling so guilty. He couldn't do anything while Visser Three killed Elfangor." 

"How do you know Alloran?" 

"I talked to him telepathically a little bit while trying to fight Visser Three. He had agreed to give morphing abilities to Mona in order to slow Visser Three down for a minute." I mutter quietly, "He was so weak, so tired, mentally." 

I lay down fully and fall asleep with Mona beside me. For the first time in weeks, I sleep peacefully. When I wake up, the sun is fully up and I feel fine except for one mother of a headache. I stand up and stretch. I'm going to have to get new clothes fairly soon because the ones I have on are dirty and bloody from the yeerk pool. I walk out of the barn quietly since there could be other people here who don't know that I'm sleeping in the barn. I walk outside to a sunny day. It is the first time in a long time I've seen sunlight and I just stand there and enjoy it for a couple of minutes. I see the sun, clothes and two hawk-like birds diving out of the sky. I have a suspicion and try to listen for their thoughts as they dive down toward the ground. 

(Yahhhooo!!!!) one bird mind-shouted as she pulls out of her powerdive. 

I smile, Mona seems to having as good time in her hawk morph. 

(Wow, what a morph! This is great, Tobias!) she says exciteably, Then she thought-speaks to me, (Good morning to you, did you sleep well?) 

(Yes, I did in matter of fact. You just get up a few minutes ago?) 

(Hell no! I got up four hours ago. It's around noon. I've been practicing morphing and collecting morphs with Tobias for the last couple of hours.) 

(It's getting close to time to demorph, Mona. Remember, don't exceed two hours or you will end up trapped in morph.) Tobias reminded her. 

(Oh, yes, Obi Wan Kanobi. You're the Morphing master and I'm merely the student of the mystic arts of morphing.) 

(Is there any sort of way your related to Marco? Both of you tell jokes that aren't very funny.) 

(Hey! Why you...) Her comentary on what Tobias said ended with a rapid squawking as she crossed the thought-speak barrier in morphing back to her human self. I think we should be glad that her opinion didn't come across. I found out later she can be very creative when she wants to be. I watch her morph from the hawk shape to her own with a morbid fascination. She has gotten pretty good at morphing. She has even figured out how to morph clothes, abott skintight. 

"It only took five times to figure out how to morph clothes," she said with a smile. 

I whisper quietly in her ear, "Not that it would have been a really bad thing if you hadn't." 

"Hey! That was uncalled for." 

(I heard that.) Tobias said. Damn sharp hawk hearing. 

I blushed a fairly deep red. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for." 

"That's okay. But to get to our problem, where do we go from here?" 

"I don't know." She walks to me and we hug gently. She buries her head into my shoulder I rub her back with my fingers, both physical and Telekinetic. She moves slightly against me with pleasure. 

"We'll think of something. But first we'll need some money. All I have is the 500 dollars that I won back in the yeerk pool." She smiles at the memory of those games. "I think with a little work, I can get another 500 to 1,000 in cash. But what we need is my car or another." 

"I know where the yeerks put your car. We can try to get it. If we can't we might be able to use my truck to get as far away as we can." 

"Any ideas on where to go?" 

"Either north or south but not now. We need to get money and get ready to go." 

I switch to telepathy. (Why hasn't Tobias not demorphed yet?) 

She thinks (I asked that whenever I first demorphed today. He said he has been trapped in hawk form. He can morph from hawka but no longer than the two hours like the rest of us morphers can.) 

I grimace a bit, rub my temples, and say quietly, "Ouch." 

"What's wrong with you?" 

"I've got a real bad headache from last night. I don't think I'll be able to do much of my abilities for a while." I led go of Mona and started heading back to the barn. Or at least I try to. I feel so dizzy and so tired. 

"I'll help you get back to bed." She had me lean on her as she led me back to the barn. I fall asleep again in my clothes. When I wake up again it is still light. I feel great but Mona is leaning over me in concern. 

"Did I sleep too long? It's only been a few hours." 

"It has been over a day since you fell asleep. I couldn't wake you up. We had planned on taking you to the hospital in a couple of hours and worry about the yeerks when you got there." 

I yawn deeply, "I feel a lot better. It must have been something that I really needed because of my abilities." I noticed a few things different about Mona. One was that she now had shorter and lighter hair. Another was that she had blue eyes. (Contact lenses.) I realized. "What has happened since I fell asleep?" 

"Well, Rachel helped me with my hair, clothes, and contacts. She had some lightening stuff. We went shopping that afternoon. After that I picked up my truck and hid it far into these woods. Your car had too many yeerk- controllers guarding it. I had bought it from a friend and hadn't picked it up yet. I never got a chance to pick it up and the yeerk never made it a priority to do so. I guess getting in a fight with my parents over it wouldn't be good for yeerk recruitment. It was ready to go and everything. We also picked up your clothes and managed to find your stash of money in your room." 

"Weren't there yeerk-controllers guarding my house?" 

"Only a few and we dealt with them." I didn't ask into that. I got a fairly good image of what had happened. She shows me the wad of cash that was in the back of my dresser and a duffel bag full of my clothes. One thing worried me is the pressence of my .38 cliploading handgun. 

"Every little bit helps, Chance." 

"Yes, but if it gets to guns, we don't stand a lot of a chance against the stuff they've got in their arsenal." 

"I thought that it might help." She really looks hurt. It must have been her idea to get the gun for me. 

"It does," I turn around and start changing into new clothes. 

"So do you have any idea what your abilities are right now?" She asks when my back is turned. 

"A pretty good idea of what I can do right now. I can read and influence thoughts and a bit of telekinesis. What do you have in mind, Mona?" 

"I figure you can deal with most border patrols while driving into Canada or Mexico. We can stay there for a while and hide out." 

"Good idea. But we need to help the Animorphs." 

"How? We can't stay here and fight. The yeerks will hunt us down." 

"When we are retreating, I can try to search for others like me, either with apparent abilities or stong latent abilities. I can teach them and come back here with a few dozen psychics and teach the yeerks a few lessons in war." 

"What?!" 

"It's necessary in my opinion. We can't win this war without any offensive actions." 

"Let's work on getting out of here first before having to worry about coming back." 

That deflates me a bit. "You're right. We need to get out of here first. Do you think you have a definate idea on how to work your morphing abilities?" 

"Yes, I do. I even looked at myself in the mirror so I could see myself morphing. I wanted to be less disgusted at what I'm hearing by seeing it. Cassie had said that some insect morphs are really bad when you see them." 

"It would be a good idea if we leave today or tomarrow for wherever we should go." 

"Canada." 

"Why, Canada?" 

"There aren't a lot of people living in Western Canada. We could easily travel between there and the northwestern United States when we want to. We could build a cabin or find an abandoned one and fix it up. Or if we want to, we could travel between Canada and the southwest United States or Mexico during the cold season." 

"Sounds good to me. It would be best if we leave this evening. It would give us the cover of night to hide in. At least it would help us hide from human police technology that the yeerks might use. Against yeerk technology, I don't know." 

"I better start packing up some things for the trip. Rachel is letting me borrow some of her family's clothes. There were too many yeerks near my house to make getting clothes easy. A little strange fitting and feeling but it will work for a while." 

"They look fine on you, Mona. I've got a few things I need to do before leaving. I want to try one thing with you first." 

"Sure, as long as its not dirty. I mean, we should at least wait until dark and out of sight. We're only a hundred yards inside of the treeline." 

I stepped in and loosely wrap my arms around Mona's body and she placed hers around my neck as we deeply kissed. Her eyes close as we french-kissed deeply. I concentrated a bit and telekinetically levitated us up to float about twenty feet up above the ground. Mona opened her eyes after a minute and looked past me, then downward. Her arms tighten automatically around my neck as she took in her situation. "What are you doing to me, Chance?" 

I smile softly, "Just a bit of telekinetic levitation." I pause a minute. "Did it feel as good for you as it did for me?" 

"You scared the s***t out of . . . oh, you mean the kiss. It was great but please, please get me on the ground." 

"Okay." I gently lower us down to the ground. Mona stares at me for a moment before harshly kissing me with a passion that I only remember during that time in the yeerk pool. I can't think except for (Wow, wow, my God, my God.) We kiss for a couple of minutes with an almost a superhuman endurance and when we pull away, we drop a couple of inches to the ground. 

"You did it again!" she exclaimed, "and I felt your thoughts. Please don't without my permission even though I tend to agree with them sometimes." 

"I didn't mean to. It just happened." 

"Just a thought, Chance . . . Making out is going to be an interesting experience for both of us." 

"Oh, yeah." I pull away reluctantly as I start walking toward the general area that Cassie told me Axilimi was in. (I love you Mona) , I think-speak to her. 

"I love you too, Chance." 

I walk quickly toward where Axmili is. My limp is almost gone and I now move fairly gracefully. I stop in a middle of a small clearing and wait until I hear hoofbeats. They sound like a deer until the Andalite, Ax, comes into the field. 

(Hello, Axmili.) 

(Hello Chance.)I wonder if my thought-speaking to him bothers him. It almost sounds that way. 

(I guess we need to talk.) 

(About what?) 

(About what happened to me in the yeerk pool. I tried out my abilities and they aren't a quarter of what they were when I escaped out of there.) 

(Maybe you emotional state inside the yeerk pool amplified your abilities.) (Maybe some. But I don't think even a strong rage could amplify my abilities that much. I have a feeling someone, or something, was involved. I had a dream while I was captured about someone or something called the Ellimist.) 

(The Ellimist!) 

(Yeah. I've got this feeling that this guy is in the big leagues.) I sensed a bit of hesitation and confusion. (I mean that the Ellimist must be a major galactic being.) 

(Yes. The Ellimist is a very powerful being and likes to play games. Be careful around him.) 

(I won't be able to do anything about that. It would be like a blade of grass in a storm. We can't stop it but must endure. There is one more thing I must ask you. Keep an eye out for others that have potential for ablities like mine and take care of your friends. Thank you Axmili.) We turn and head our seperate ways. I wonder how much longer it will be until the Animorphs will have to grief for the loss of one of themselves. There can be only so many fights until one of them die. 

I walk to the spot that Mona had hidden the truck, got in the driver's seat and thought for a minute. I know we will someday come back but what will happen until then. Who will suffer and who will die? 

"You look so unhappy, Chance." Mona handed me the keys to her truck. 

"I wonder who will be around living and free when we come back?" 

"Hopefully everyone." And we drove off toward Canada. 

THE END (for now) 


End file.
